Reeling apparatus



Nov. 15, 1955 J. F, slBLEY REELING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 2, 1952 ha y Imm-

FIG.

INVENToR. JOSEPH F. SI BLEY BY ATTORNEYS Nov. l5, 1955 J. F. slBLEY REELING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 2, 1952 FIG. 2.

INVENToR. JOSEPH F. Sl BLEY ATTORNEYS REELING APPARATUS Joseph F. Sibley, Philadelphia, Pa. Application December 2, 1952, Serial No. 323,635 Claims. (Cl. 242-83) This invention relates to reeling apparatus and has particular reference to an apparatus for the reeling of flexible tubing to enable the tubing to be tested under pressure.

In the manufacture of hose it is customary to knit or braid a fabric covering upon a rubber tube, this operation to be followed by the molding of an outer tube over the fabric-covered inner `tube with nal treatment in a lead press. Following the covering with fabric of the inner tubing it is subjected to a pressure test. In carrying out this pressure test the tubing must be able to expand since without provision for expansion the inner turns of a reel of the tubing would be protected by the outer turns. Consequently, it has been customary to reel the tubing to be tested in spiral layers with the successive convolutions spaced slightly from each other to permit free expansion of any portion of the tubing. This reeling has heretofore been accomplished manually requiring an attendant to receive the tubing from each knitting or braiding machine used to apply the fabric cover.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for accomplishing the required reeling in spaced convolutions with the superposition of the spiral layers. In brief, the present apparatus receives the tubing from the knitting or braiding machine from which it passes by gravity feed. Since the rate of feed from the knitting or braiding machine is constant, it will be evident that the receiving table must have a rotary speed giving at the point of approach of the tubing a tangential velocitywhch is equal to the velocity of feed from the covering machine. The turntable accordingly must have a variable speed of angular rotation decreasing with increase of the diameter of the convolu tions as they are placed thereon. Furthermore, as the direction of placement of the convolutions is reversed, the change of rotational speed must also be reversed, the angular rotational speed increasing as the convolutions move inwardly from the outermost diameter. Furthermore, the progress of the increase of diameter must remain constant, being for each complete revolution somewhat in excess of the diameter of the tubing, the amount of excess depending upon the amount of expansion for which allowance must be made.

The accomplishment of these ends in accordance with the invention, and the more specific objects of the invention, will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a reeling apparatus of preferred type provided in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a transverse section through the apparatus taken on the plane the trace of which is indicated at 2 2 in Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a wiring diagram showing the arrangements for providing automatic reversal of a driving motor for the apparatus.

United States Patent @Hice 2,723,807 Patented Nov. 15, 1955 The apparatus as illustrated comprises a frame 2 constructed of welded structural members and provided with a pair of tracks 4 serving to guide the supporting'rollers 6 of a carriage 8. Supported by the carriage 8 is a driving motor 10 which drives through a variable speed drive unit 12 reduction gearing 14.v The variable speed drive 12 is of conventional type having its speed ratio controlled from a shaft 16 which through the usual cam and follower connections within the variable speed drive unit provides a desired variation of speed with angular displacement of the shaft 16. Variable speed drive units of this type are well known and accordingly the unit 12 need not be further described. The shaft 16 carries a pinion 18 which meshes with a rack 20 extending parallel to the tracks 4 and supported pivotally at 22 on the frame 2. A spring 24 normally urges the rack 20 into mesh with the pinion 18, the yielding arrangement being provided so that there may be effected initial speed adjustment of the drive 12.

Adjacent to the ends of the rack 20 are single poledouble throw switches 26 and 28 which may be of microswitch type and which have plungers for their operation engageable by adjustable pins 30 and 32 carried by a rod 34 secured to the carriage 8.

The gear reduction unit 14 drives through a coupling 36 a transverse shaft 38 mounted in bearings in the carriage. A pinion 40 secured to the shaft 38 between the overrunning clutches 48 and St) meshes with a gear 42 mounted on a countershaft to which is also secured a pinion 44 meshing with a rack 46 carried by the frame 2. As the shaft 38 rotates in a clockwise direction, as viewed from the right of Figure 2, the carriage 8 is traversed in a direction which is downwardly as viewed in Figure l. With reversal of rotation of shaft 38 this direction of traversal of the carriage is reversed.

The shaft 38 drives through overrunning clutches 48 and 50, respectively, the bevel gears 52 and 54 which mesh with a common bevel gear 56. The arrangement is such that, as the shaft 38 rotates clockwise as viewed from the right-hand side of Figure 2, the overrunning clutch 48 drives the gear 52 in the same direction. This results in a clockwise rotation of the gear 56 as viewed in plan and acounterclockwise rotation of gear 54 as viewed from the right of Figure 2. Under these conditions the overrunning clutch 50 permits such rotation of the gear 54 which is then independent of direct drive from the shaft 38. On the other hand, when the shaft 38 rotates in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from the right of Figure 2, the gear 54 is directly driven in the corresponding direction and gear 56 still rotates clockwise as viewed in plan. The overrunning clutch 48 then permits the gear 52 to rotate clockwise free of direct drive from shaft 38. The result is that the gear 56 rotates clockwise as viewed in plan irrespective of the direction of rotation of shaft 38.

The gear 56 drives through the overrunning clutch 58 a vertical shaft 60 having bearings in the frame of the carriage and on this shaft there is mounted a support 62 to rotate therewith. The overrunning clutch 58 provides clockwise rotation of the support 62 under the drive of the gear 56 but allows overrunning of the gear in said clockwise direction.

Mounted on the support 62 is a replaceable reel 64 having a hub 66 provided with an opening 67 for the insertion of the leading end of a hose H which feeds downwardly through a channelled guide 68 mounted on an arm 70 which is pivoted at 72 to the frame 2 and is held in a horizontal position by engagement with a frame member 73.

Assuming preliminarily that the motor 10` is reversible through the switches 26 and 28, as will be presently pointed out, the operation of the device is as follows:

The motor 10 operates at substantially constant speed and preliminarily the pinion 18 of the variable speed drive is adjusted to synchronize the speed of the support 62 with the speed of the knitting or braiding machine from which the hose H passes. This is accomplished by moving the pivoted rack away from the pinion 15S against the action of spring 24, the pinion then being adjusted to the proper setting to give the correct rotational rate of the support 62 for the innermost convolution which will be about and closely adjacent to the hub 66 of the reel.

Following this adjustment the end of the tubing is inserted into the hole 67 in the hub of the reel which is turned clockwise, as permitted by the overrunning clutch 58, to lock the end in place.

The motor 10 is then started in what may be called the forward direction corresponding to an outward progression of the reeling action and motion of the carriage in a direction which is downwardly as viewed in Figure 1. As the operation continues, reeling takes place due to clockwise rotation of the turntable, and the suc- L cessive convolutions are spaced by the desired amount which is suiciently greater than the diameter of the tubing to permit the expansion incident to pressure testing. As the carriage moves in its forward direction, the pinion 18 is rotated to vary the speed of the variable speed drive 12 so that the peripheral velocity of the reel at the point where the tubing is fed thereto is constantly equal to the feed of the tubing from the knitter or braider. The first layer of the tubing is thus properly located on the reel, the convolutions being properly spaced.

As the carriage reaches its limit of movement corresponding to the formation of the outermost convolution of the tubing, the switch 26 is actuated to reverse the motor 10 whereupon the traversal of the carriage reverses, the supporting 62 continuing to rotate clockwise. The tubing then climbs upon the outermost convolution and begins to spiral inwardly with the successive convolutions spaced as before. When the carriage reaches the end of this movement, the motor is again reversed and the tubing is laid in a third layer spiralling outwardly. These reciprocating movements of the carriage continue until the required length of tubing is located on the reel, whereupon the reel may be removed for pressure testing of the tubing in usual fashion.

Figure 3 shows the power wiring for the motor 10 which may be used for effecting proper motor reversal. The motor 10 illustrated in Figure 3 is of three-phase type supplied with power from the lines 74. The reversing relays-are: indicated at 76 and 78, and it will be noted thatv these relays reverse the phase connections of the motor to provide for reversal of its rotation. The relays are controlled from a pair of the lines through connections 80 and 82. A normally closed stop switch is provided at 84 and may be manually opened to stop the operation of the machine. A forward switch is provided at 86 and a reverse switch is provided at 88. As will be evident from the connections, momentary closure of each of these switches will provide for the corresponding rotation of the motor, the lower contact elements of the relays constituting holding elements for maintaining the direction of rotation once it has been started. The switches 26 and 22B previously referred to are indicated and their movable elements are normally engaged with the contacts 90 and 92. Whenv operations of these switches are effected by the adjustableV pins 3i)y and 32, contacts are engaged at 9d` and 96.

As will be evident from the circuit connections illustrated, energization of solenoid 76, after release of push'- button 86, requires the engagement of switch 2S at contact 92; When this switch is thrown to'contact' 9'6, the solenoid of relay 76 is deenergized while' the solenoid of relay 78 is` energized to effect motor-f reversal. A similar condition exists when the switch 26 is actuated with corresponding reversal. The result is accordingly operation as above described, the carriage reciprocating between the two extremes of its movement as determined by the positions of the pins 30 and 32 with rclationship to the reversing switches. The adjustability of pins 3d and 32 makes it possible to determine the extremes of the movements imparted to the carriage, thus providing for variations in the coil sizes depending upon the diameters and lengths of tubings which may be reeled. It will be evident from the foregoing that there is provided a reeling mechanism adapted to provide reels of tubing irrespective of the particular feed rates from the knitting or braiding machines. Typical linear feeds of the tubing from such machines are generally in the range of l to 18 feet per minute. The described device is capable of accommodating such a range of feeds and, as will be evident, various size reels may be provided.

lt will be evident that the invention may be embodied in other fashions than as specifically illustrated and described and it is, therefore, to be understood that the invention is not to be considered limited except as required by the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. Apparatus for the reeling of flexible tubing comprising a guide for the tubing, a carriage mounted for reciprocating movement relative to said guide, means for mounting a rotary turntable on said carriage, a reversible motor driving means, driving connections from said motor driving means to produce reciprocatory movements of said carriage in accordance with the direction of operation of said motor driving means, and driving connections between said motor driving means and said turntable to produce a constant direction of rotation of said turntable irrespective of the direction of operation of said motor driving means.

2. Apparatus for the reeling of flexible tubing comprising a guide for the tubing, a carriage mounted for reciprocating movement relative to said guide, means for mounting a rotary turntable on said carriage, a reversible motor driving means, driving connections from said motor driving means to produce reciprocatory movements of said carriage in accordance with the direction of operation of said motor driving means, driving connections between said motor driving means and said turntable to produce a constant direction-of rotation of said turntable irrespective of the direction of operation of said motor driving means, and means for varying the speed of said motor driving means in accordance with the position of said carriage relative to said guide.

3. Apparatus for the reeling of exible tubing comprising a guide for the tubing, a carriage mounted for reciprocating movement relative to said guide, means for mounting a rotary turntable on said carriage, a reversible motor driving means, driving. connections from said motor driving means to produce reciprocatory movements of said carriage in accordance with the direction of operation of said motor driving means, means for reversing said motor driving means upon movement of said carriage to predetermined limits of itsreciprocatory movements, and driving connections between said motor driving means and said turntable to produce a constant direction of rotation of said turntable irrespective of the direction of operation of said motor driving means.

4. Apparatus for the reeling of iiexible tubing comprising a guide for the tubing, a carriage mountedl for rer ciprocating movement relative to said guide, means for mounting a rotary turntable on said carriage, a1 reversible motor driving means, driving connections from said motor drivingmeans to produce reciprocatory movements of said cariage in accordance with the direction of operation of said motor driving means, means for reversing saidv motor driving means upon movement of said carriage to predetermined limits of its recip'rocatory movements, driving connections between said motor drivingl means and said turntable to produce a constant direction of rotation of said turntable irrespective of the direction of operation of said motor driving means, and means for varying the speed of said motor driving means in accordance with the position of said carriage relative to said guide.

5. Apparatus for the reelng of exible tubing comprising a guide for the tubing, a carriage mounted for reciprocating movement relative to said guide, means for mounting a rotary turntable on said carriage, a reversible motor driving means, driving connections from said motor driving means to produce reciprocator/ movements of said carriage in accordance with the direction of operation of l0 5 direction of operation of said motor driving means.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

